SBF tells New York Times that he ‘could be worse’

Former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried told the New York Times that he had numerous regrets over the collapse of the company in a wide-ranging interview on Sunday in which the paper described him as “surprisingly calm.”

“You would’ve thought that I’d be getting no sleep right now, and instead I’m getting some,” Bankman-Fried told the Times. “It could be worse.”

Bankman-Fried said the exchange’s margin position was “substantially larger than I had thought it was,” but he wouldn’t provide further details other than to say that it was in the billions of dollars. He declined to comment on his current location.

Bankman-Fried said that he’d wished he’d taken less on.

“The venture stuff was probably not really worth it given the attention that it took,” he told the Times, adding that he’d been “working constructively with regulators, bankruptcy officials and the company to try to do what’s best for consumers.”

When asked if he had relied to much on a small group of close colleagues, Bankman-Fried said, “Realistically speaking, I don’t think anyone can maintain close contact and close communication with more than 15 people.” He also said he was no longer in a romantic relationship with Alameda Research head Caroline Ellison, but declined to comment further. 

The New York Times said that he declined to discuss the prospect of prison time, but he said that he’s been occupying his time by playing the video game Storybook Brawl.

“It helps me unwind a bit,” he said. “It clears my mind.”

He couldn’t explain a series of cryptic tweets he’s been posting over the past two days, other than to say he was making it up as he went along.

“I don’t know,” he said. “I’m improvising.”

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